Nemo's Garden - From the sea to the future

By 2050 we will need to feed a global population of 9 Bn people while facing an increasingly unstable set of circumstances such as extreme climatic events, as well as fresh water increasing scarcity. In the developed world, industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture has become the dominant system of modern farming. However, there is growing support for sustainable agriculture.

Conventional agriculture is one of the most resource-intensive human activities, accounting for nearly 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. In many regions, irrigation relies heavily on non-renewable groundwater sources, drawing from aquifers at unsustainable rates. Meanwhile, increasing competition from urban development and industry is intensifying pressure on already-stressed water systems. Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This is due not only to reduced water availability, but also to shifts in temperature, rainfall patterns, atmospheric CO₂ levels, and solar radiation. These interconnected variables directly affect crop yields, growing seasons, and soil health. As global food demand continues to rise, the sector is being forced to produce more with less—particularly less water and arable land—placing urgency on alternative methods that are both resilient and resource-efficient.

This is where agriculture needs to get creative, seeking farming solutions valuable for those areas where environmental and morphological constraints make conventional agriculture extremely difficult or unsustainable. Nemo’s Garden – embodied in the innovative start-up NG S.r.l. Società Benefit from 2021 – is the first ever underwater farm for cultivation of terrestrial plants. The subsea greenhouses, called biospheres, of Nemo’s Garden pilot plant are in the bay of Noli (Savona), on the North-West coast of Italy, and are already technologically advanced (TRL 10). The biospheres are made of poly(methylmethacrylate) and are moored between 5 and 10 meters deep, creating ideal growth conditions where plants thrive thanks to natural water desalination, solar energy, and a closed-loop hydroponic system that requires no soil, no pesticides, no grow lights and a low external energy input (30-40 W when all the utilities are working). Indeed, they are equipped with an hydroponic system comprised of tubes hosting up to 100 to 700 plants (depending on the type of structure), sensors for environmental conditions monitoring and cameras for visual inspections and divers interfacing.

The biospheres benefit from the sea thermal stability: the constant temperature difference between the air inside the domes and the sea allows water condensation on the internal walls thus producing desalinated water. This freshwater is collected and used for crops irrigation, thus making this system inherently circular and autonomous, a critical advantage in dry regions. Over the years it has have successfully grown more than 40 types of crops, for both food applications (e.g. basil, sage etc.), and for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications (e.g. tobacco, aloe etc.). Furthermore, it is necessary to highlight that such crops have enhanced properties due to the unique growth conditions. In fact, the temperature regulated by the marine environment, the pressure slightly above the atmospheric one and very high relative humidity create peculiar physiological conditions which, in synergy with the light spectrum filtered by marine water, induce changes in the secondary metabolism of plants. It is therefore the combination of filtered spectrum, pressure and temperature that determines the increase in bioactive metabolites such as antioxidants (β-carotene and polyphenols) and essential oils, beneficial for human health.

Moreover, the project not only has minimal ecological impact, but actually contributes to marine biodiversity, acting as an artificial reef thus providing a shelter to local marine life and promoting the repopulation of the surrounding area. In many ways, the garden becomes part of the ocean — a small ecosystem that benefits both nature and people. Beyond its environmental value, Nemo’s Garden represents a new frontier for the blue economy. It offers a sustainable agricultural model for coastal and water-scarce regions, supports scientific research on plant adaptation, and even creates opportunities in eco-tourism and education. 

Nemo’s Garden project - as NG S.r.l. Società Benefit - aims at developing a self-sustainable, circular and ecological hydroponic farming system capable of supporting crops/plants production with potential application in culinary, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and medicinal fields. In our vision, the project fits perfectly with all the four WEFE dimensions, simultaneously addressing water scarcity (through in-situ freshwater production), low-energy agriculture, food production, and ecosystem restoration.

By exploiting ocean thermal stability, the modified light spectrum and the increased pressure of the underwater environment, Nemo’s Garden promotes an innovative, climate-resilient, and low-impact agricultural model to buffer climate extremes and reduce crop vulnerability. The creation of a closed micro-environment with naturally high humidity, minimal evapotranspiration loss, and physical isolation from most terrestrial pests, allows crops to thrive while inherently improving food safety. Moreover, due to the peculiar environment of the biospheres, plants grown underwater show improved nutraceutical properties with a higher antioxidants and essential oils concentrations, suggesting suitable application in the food/herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors. Nemo’s Garden installation demonstrated a high energy and resource efficiency: i) the use of an hydroponic cultivation system (therefore no soil usage) and the exploitation of the natural condensation to produce irrigation water ensure a very low resources consumption; ii) the biospheres operate with minimal electrical input (max ~40 W per biosphere), with half of this energy requirement produced via solar power. Indeed, by coupling an underwater garden with a solar panels system, energy-autonomy could be reached. Additionally, Nemo’s Garden installation contributes to the improvement of the surrounding marine ecosystem: the underwater biospheres act as artificial reef structures fostering biodiversity and providing shelter for fish and invertebrates.

In the short term, NG S.r.l. Società Benefit aims to expand its international collaborations and build strong partnerships worldwide to show that underwater agriculture can truly become a sustainable and viable alternative to traditional farming thus reducing the environmental impact of conventional agricultural practices. The start-up is applying for funded bids/grants to widen its team and further develop Nemo’s Garden technology through the optimization and efficiency of increasingly productive and automated versions of its biospheres (already under development), making them easier to manage and more cost-effective. By integrating advanced Artificial Intelligence and IoT systems, the company plans to achieve highly precise remote monitoring and control of every underwater installation. The eventual secured fundings will be also allocated both to maximize the use of renewable energy to power the pilot garden in Noli as feasibility demonstrator through the installation of autonomous energy-production systems (e.g., floating solar panels, micro-hydroelectric units) and to develop scalable energy solutions for future Nemo’s Garden installations worldwide. 

Looking ahead, NG S.r.l. Società Benefit has a wide range of medium/long-term ambitions. Nemo's Garden aims to become a Mediterranean reference spot of innovation and climate adaptation, offering a scalable response to arable-land scarcity, population growth, and the urgent need for climate-resilient food systems—especially for small islands, peninsulas, coastal deserts, delta regions where land is constrained or salinized, but sheltered coastal waters are available. The goal is to double/triple installations globally, reduce costs, and eventually establish the first large-scale food production hub once macro-economic conditions are favourable. The company also intends to build strong partnerships with luxury resorts and with businesses in the cosmetic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical sectors, providing them with high-value nice products (aromatic herbs, medicinal plants, specialty botanicals) for R&D purposes. By working with research institutions and biotech companies, it aims to develop high-quality medicinal plants and explore the therapeutic potential of species grown underwater, which often contain higher concentrations of essential oils and active compounds. Over time, the company intends to build a comprehensive scientific database documenting the benefits of underwater cultivation. As interest in innovative and sustainable solutions continues to grow, NG S.r.l. Società Benefit sees strong potential in markets such as the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central and North America.

Underwater biospheres have shown a positive effect on marine ecosystems, acting as artificial reefs and supporting local biodiversity, making this solution ideal for marine environment restoration actions. Additionally, experiential underwater tourism offers a unique twist by combining ecosystem education, the repopulation of local underwater areas, and an unparalleled experience.

Another essential aspect of NG’s mission is spreading awareness and fostering a cultural shift toward innovative forms of agriculture and the Blue Economy. Through events, workshops, and collaborations with universities, the company hopes to inspire both the public and private sectors. 

Ultimately, Nemo’s Garden represents far more than a technological experiment. It marks a true paradigm shift in sustainable agriculture. NG S.r.l. Società Benefit’s long-term vision is to make underwater farming accessible and scalable, to reduce the environmental impact of food/herbal production, to explore new applications in nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, and to establish itself as a global leader in both the Blue Economy and agricultural innovation.

The core of the project is a unique technical system designed to leverage the marine environment for crop cultivation. Within the Noli pilot line, nine biospheres (transparent domes of ~2,000 L air) have been deployed underwater between 5 and 10 m depth and about 80 m far from the coast. The structures have been renovated this year and are characterized by the following items: 

• Soil-less, hydroponic cultivation system: a possible biosphere configuration is the one exploiting the nutrient-rich flowing film (NFT) technology through the installation of tubes-pump-reservoir systems. Nowadays, each biosphere can support supporting ~100 seedbeds and it is also equipped with a 1 m²-shelve that can accommodate trays for microgreens production. The primary output is the cultivation of terrestrial plants, such as herbs, microgreens, medicinal plants. Bigger biosphere structures are under development - called BioTunnel and Geosphere – in order to overcome space limitations. These structures could support up to 700 plants.

• Freshwater production: to sustainably feed the irrigation system, we capitalize on natural evaporation and condensation of the seawater within the domes. Here, thanks to the greenhouse effect, the interface seawater evaporates and it’s captured through a condenser, fertilized, and recirculated for irrigation. The amount of freshwater produced depends mainly on the condenser dimension. For a 20W power condenser, 250-300 mL/day are collected.  

• Energy management: the system relies on passive climate control using the thermal inertia of seawater to maintain a stable, warm temperature (22-30°C in summertime); the garden utilities powering system relies on solar panels installed on the shore for half of its requirements while the other half is provided via grid. Each biosphere system consumes up to 40-45W based on the utilities usage. Among them: ventilation fan, pumps, sensors, internal monitoring equipment. 

• Ecosystem improvement: the different structures themselves act as an artificial reef, providing habitat and shelter for marine life thus positively impacting the local ecosystem. Indeed, they attract marine life fostering biodiversity and repopulation of the area.

Other Nemo’s Garden, whether single or multiple installations, are in EU (Belgium), in the U.S. and in the Middle East.

The project is heavily driven by human action, curiosity, and research, going beyond just the physical hardware. The founder, Sergio Gamberini, passionate for scuba diving and gardening and president of Ocean Reef Group and Mestel Safety, in 2012 did the first growing test with a small transparent balloon and a basil plant, mainly helped by his family and friends. Afterward, independent collaborators, academic groups and universities, sponsors, and people who were deeply committed to the project participated at the project in different forms.

The project followed a clear, iterative process, moving from a simple curiosity to a validated, commercialized technology. Indeed, the first test was done with a simple hypothesis: "What happens if we try to grow basil underwater?". The installation of a small transparent and flexible domes a few meters below the surface in Noli proved that plants could survive in the underwater conditions. The first few years (2012–2016) focused heavily on instrumenting the biospheres to collect extensive environmental and biological data to validate the initial hypotheses. To assess a possible influence of underwater conditions - such as modified light spectrum, increased pressure and high humidity – on plants chemistry (Basil, Stevia), lab tests were carried out. The agronomic results, supported by peer-reviewed studies, demonstrated a shift in the essential oil chemotype, a higher antioxidant activity, and morphological adaptation to the biosphere conditions thus confirming the viability and unique advantages of the underwater growing environment. Currently, NG S.r.l. Società Benefit offers customized solutions (Biosphere, BioTunnel, Geosphere) for R&D, resorts, and specialistic markets (pharma/cosmetics), while continuing to gather data from diverse locations, with the ultimate goal of developing a market strategy focused on high-value niche crops and experiential/scientific tourism (for example with ‘The Looking Glass’ biosphere) rather than immediate mass food production.

Facing global challenges like food security, climate change, and dwindling arable land and clean water in coastal and lacustrine areas, innovative solutions are critical. Nemo's Garden is the world's first underwater cultivation system for terrestrial plants, providing a sustainable and cost-efficient farming alternative.

Our successful trials demonstrate the underwater biosphere is a viable and effective environment for growing herbal crops and microgreens, confirming its potential to help meet future food needs. The main achievements supporting this conclusion include:

• Operational pilot plant: since 2015, we successfully established and maintained underwater rigid biospheres in the Mediterranean thanks to a 250 m² seafloor state concessions.

• Reduction of land use: underwater agriculture is a smart solution for a growing population and a planet with limited arable land. It doesn’t require deforestation, offsets habitat destruction, and one day may support sustainable farming without competing for space with traditional agriculture.

• Natural thermal stability: Nemo’s Garden underwater environment champions a more consistent climate, protecting plants from extreme weather and especially temperature fluctuations. This creates ideal growing conditions, potentially, year-round, while surface climates become increasingly unpredictable. Inside the domes, the air temperature is stable and ranges in between 22 and 30°C (May - Sept)​ without any use of artificial climatization. The relative humidity is naturally high and can vary in the range 80–98 %.

• No artificial lighting: seawater acts as a natural blue-green optical filter modifying the spectrum within the domes. The photosynthetic active radiation is lower (600 μmol/m²/s) if compared to land but still enough to promote plants growth and contributing to the stimulation secondary metabolites production.

• No freshwater waste: Nemo’s Garden utilizes natural evaporation and condensation processes within its biospheres to produce fresh water. This method mimics the natural evaporation of seas, allowing for the collection of fresh water. With the condenser currently in use, we auto produce about 300 ml/day per biosphere of fresh, distilled water. The total water use per biosphere is about 240-300 (150-210) liters/m²•year, depending on the selected cultivation or microgreens production.

• No pesticides use: Nemo’s Garden’s plants grow in an obviously controlled and protected environment. The biospheres are a pest-free habitat, isolating the plants from external contaminants and antagonists that typically affect crops grown in traditional soil environments.

• Marine synergy: the biospheres can serve as safe havens for marine life, enhancing local biodiversity, and can be coupled with nearby fish farms to repurpose nitrogen-rich waste as natural fertilization—closing resource loops. This model is especially suited for regions with limited arable land but abundant ocean space, where local communities are already familiar with sea-based livelihoods. A comparative study between Nemo’s Garden and the surrounding area highlighted a positive ecological interaction, with marine species using the structures for shelter and habitat. Unlike conventional farming or industrial systems that often disrupt natural ecosystems, our underwater biospheres have a minimal ecological footprint—and in many cases, a regenerative impact.

• Environmental monitoring: the biospheres are equipped with cameras and IoT sensors to register and monitor internal parameters such as temperature, light, humidity, CO₂ and O₂ levels.

• Energy resilience: our biosphere configuration achieved a low-energy system (max power requirement is 40 W per biosphere, depending on utilities usage) and we produce 50% of the energy needed from solar panels; many are the efforts underway to harness environmental energy via hydrodynamic structures. The yearly total energy needs would be 350 KWh/m² maximum, normally ranging from 45-265 KWh/m².

• Nutrient-rich plants: due to the unique underwater conditions, such as higher atmospheric pressure and a different light spectrum, plants grown in Nemo’s Garden have improved nutraceutical properties, as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications:

Growing basil in the underwater biospheres of Nemo's Garden®: Phytochemical, physiological and micromorphological analyses (Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108851): The University of Pisa and collaborators used basil as a model crop and compared plants grown in Nemo’s Garden biospheres with those in a terrestrial greenhouse concluding the following: i) no significant micromorphological differences; leaves and glandular trichomes looked normal, meaning plants structurally adapted well to the underwater environment; ii) the essential oil chemotype shifted from a methyl eugenol/linalool profile on land to a mainly methyl eugenol profile underwater, with about 33 volatile compounds detected and an EO yield around 0.025% w/w; iii) underwater basil showed higher antioxidant activity (~+31.5%) and ~+13.3% higher total polyphenols compared to control samples, indicating a richer secondary metabolite profile under biosphere conditions. 

Resilience of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in the Underwater Biospheres of Nemo’s Garden®: Adaptation to New Cultivation Systems (Molecules 2022, 27, 8602. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/molecules27238602): the study demonstrated comparable leaf and trichomes structures, similar non-volatile profile but a shift in headspace composition, with high prevalence of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons underwater.

Moreover, we successfully established the reproducibility of germination and survival rates for various herbs and leafy greens together with effective trials of microgreens (which were commercialized to a local starred-restaurant) and premium “Aroma of the Sea” botanicals used in our food line (e.g. pralines) and a wide variety of plants (such as basil, thyme, mint, lettuce, beans, edible flowers, okra, aloe). 

• Patents: the underwater biospheres growing system id protected by a family of patents – including ITMI20121891A1, US 9,510,520 B2 and EP 3 501 266 B1 – which cover the design of the air-filled domes, anchoring structures, and integrated hydroponic-condensation irrigation technology. 

• Recognitions and partnerships: Nemo's Garden has received notable recognition, including a recent entry in the Guinness World Record and features in major publications like National Geographic, CNN, Washington Post, The Guardian, Euronews - to name a few - for pioneering the world's first underwater greenhouse system. Further highlighting its innovative approach to sustainable agriculture, the project was formalized as NG S.r.l Società Benefit in 2021, established a strategic partnership with Siemens for enhanced digital monitoring, and has been the subject of several academic journal publications and photography awards like the Environmental Photography Award.

Nemo’s Garden project provided a unique and invaluable learning experience about the potential synergy between sustainable agriculture, marine ecosystem conservation and innovative technology solutions. The importance of designing a resilient and stable structure is one of the most important lessons in order to address environmental stress. Indeed, the biospheres withstood Mediterranean storms and years of installation, demonstrating structural robustness and compatibility with the marine ecosystem. 

A key feature of the technology is the internal microclimate stability. The underwater environment’s stable temperature and humidity promotes plants growth, while the natural isolation of the underwater farm allows to produce pesticide-free, organic products with potential application in culinary, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and medicinal fields. The dual role of biospheres as plant habitats and marine ecosystem structures strengthens the project's sustainability and social-ecological value, which is crucial for replication and long-term scalability. 

Another fundamental consideration relates to resource efficiency and circularity: by leveraging natural evaporation-condensation cycles of seawater, Nemo’s Garden produces freshwater autonomously thus reducing reliance on external water input. This aspect demonstrates the system viability as self-sufficient hydroponic agriculture even in water-scarce regions. Moreover, with only ~40 W per biosphere required, the system is highly energy-efficient too, making replication feasible even in off-grid or resource-constrained environments.

From a scalability point of view, Nemo’s Garden shows a clear path from high-value, small-scale applications to broader food production. The initial biospheres were designed for niche markets, such as culinary herbs, medicinal plants, and luxury resort partnerships, allowing the team to refine cultivation methods, optimize environmental controls, and validate plant performance under underwater conditions. These smaller, carefully monitored units served as a testing ground to ensure reproducibility, optimize energy and water efficiency, and study the physiological and chemical changes in crops induced by the underwater environment. To move from niche or R&D products to large-scale distribution, bigger modular structures are needed. Thanks to a thoughtful design adaptation, BioTunnel and Geosphere architectures have been developed to support increased plant densities and possibly broader crop diversity, targeting mainstream food production while maintaining sustainability and its regenerative impact. This modular approach enables flexible scaling without compromising system performance or environmental benefits. It also allows adaptation to different marine contexts, from sheltered bays to coastal deserts, and even offshore locations, enhancing the replicability of the model globally. Additionally, given Nemo’s Garden location in the Mediterranean, it is ideally positioned to serve as a replicable model across other Mediterranean coastal zones. By integrating Nemo’s Garden with complementary activities, such as eco-tourism and scientific research, economic feasibility and public visibility are improved and could foster its wider adoption.

Finally, Nemo’s Garden illustrates the potential for the WEFE nexus approach to inspire policy innovation. By joining sustainable water use, low-energy cultivation, food production, and ecosystem benefits in a single system, it offers a replicable blueprint for coastal regions worldwide, particularly those constrained by limited arable land or water scarcity. The combination of small, high-end experimental units with larger modular systems for mass production highlights a scalable pathway from proof-of-concept to significant contribution to global food security, ecosystem restoration, and climate adaptation strategies.